Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research

Only one more week to apply for our fully-funded PhD positions in Quantum Materials! Join the Max Planck Graduate Center for Quantum Materials (MPGC-QM) and work at one of five world-leading institutes!
Deadline is Dec 10!
Learn more & apply here: www.fkf.mpg.de/8848816/job_...

We’re excited to share that our colleague Dr. Anna Rosławska has been featured as the @dpgphysik.bsky.social Physicist of the Week! 🎉🔬

Anna explores light–matter interactions at sub-nanometer resolution using a unique combination of scanning tunneling microscopy and optical spectroscopy.

MPI-FKF Forschende wieder unter den „Highly Cited Researchers 2025” Anerkennung für Forschung mit langfristiger Wirkung

👏 Two of our researchers have been named Highly Cited Researchers 2025 by Clarivate!

Congratulations to Prof. Bettina V. Lotsch and Prof. Joachim Maier, both recognized in the Cross-Field category for their long-term scientific impact.

More details: www.fkf.mpg.de/8877365/2025...

Congratulations to Dr. Anna Rosławska on winning the 2026 DPG Gaede Prize for pioneering work on light–matter interaction at the atomic scale. Her STM-based insights into single-molecule luminescence and ultrafast processes open new paths for nano-/optoelectronics. www.fkf.mpg.de/8875387/2025...

Our fully-funded PhD positions in Quantum Materials now open!
Join the Max Planck Graduate Center for Quantum Materials (MPGC-QM) and work at one of five world-leading institutes. The deadline is Dec 10!
👉 Learn more & apply here: www.fkf.mpg.de/8848816/job_...
#QuantumMaterials #PhDPositions

Science, dialogue & community in action 💡 Our first Institute Colloquium brought researchers together for a day of talks, posters, and friendly competition — from quantum materials to ping-pong!
Read more 👉 www.fkf.mpg.de/8857101/2025...

Uniaxial pressure enhances excitonic fluctuations in Ta₂NiSe₅, revealing how electron–hole correlations drive its phase transition. Our Raman and optical studies support the excitonic-insulator picture. Read more: www.fkf.mpg.de/8855069/2025...

There is just 3 days left to register for the Max Planck Science Policy Winter School, which aims to educate young scientist on the topic of science policy! Learn more at www.fkf.mpg.de/mpsps

Earlier this month, we held a joint workshop with our institute and Peking University, continuing our successful collaboration in condensed matter science. Learn more about the workshop here! www.fkf.mpg.de/8850503/2025...

On Thursday, around 75 of our colleagues set out for our annual institute-wide outing! This year's destination was Bad Urach and the castle ruins of Hohenneuffen. It was foggy and rainy, but a great day out! Read more at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8845563/2025...

Early this month, we finished the summer holidays with a Science Summer Camp, turning the institute into a playground of curiosity and discovery. Twenty children, aged 10 to 13, filled the labs with laughter, questions, and experiments. www.fkf.mpg.de/8840936/2025...

How can scientific evidence guide political decisions? And how can researchers take an active role in democratic debate? These are the central questions of the Max Planck Science Policy Winter School (MP-SPWS), taking place January 25–30, 2026, in Berlin! Learn more: www.fkf.mpg.de/mpsps

Yesterday, we participated in the AOK-Firmenlauf in Ludwigsburg with our team "The FKF-Nanorunners team." Our team consisted of 16 runners from 10 different nations, and together achieved an impressive 19th out of 142 mixed teams! Well done runners!

Open call for Free-Floating Max Planck Research Groups!
Early-career researchers (≤7 yrs post-PhD) can apply for a fully funded 6-yr group at a Max Planck Institute of their choice (incl. at our institute!) Learn more and apply at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8832208/2025...

Join us for a symposium on quantum geometry, topology & correlations in quantum materials. We’ll explore cutting-edge research on semimetals, magnets & superconductors, with speakers from Japan & Germany. A chance to connect, discuss, and spark new collaborations. www.fkf.mpg.de/8817964/geom...

Mit dem Start des neuen Ausbildungsjahres heißen wir vier neue Auszubildende an unserem Institut herzlich willkommen! Wir freuen uns, junge Menschen auf ihrem Weg ins Berufsleben zu begleiten und mit ihnen gemeinsam die Fachkräfte von morgen auszubilden!

Prof. Jochen Maier discusses why see cycles of exciting and disappointment—in tech, fashion, economics, and society at large!
By linking expectation–reality gaps with memory, he shows how simple models can explain periodic sociological phenomena. Read more at:
www.leopoldina.org/en/publicati...

Dynamic breathing behaviour of the titanium-based metal–organic framework NTU-9 upon adsorption of water and organic solvents Understanding the structural response of framework materials to external stimuli has been of great interest. However, little is known about the stimuli responsiveness of titanium-based metal–organic f...

Check out our Chemical Science work led by Julia, showing the dynamic breathing behaviour of the titanium-based MOF NTU-9!
Detailed structural analysis was the key to the findings 🧐

Congratulations Julia on your first paper! 🎉🎊

pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

📣 We're offering fully funded PhD positions in Condensed Matter Science! Join the International Max Planck Research School, and get involved in a cutting-edge research project in a vibrant, interdisciplinary, and multicultural environment. 📅 Apply by Sep 30 at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8819619/job_...

#OnThisDay in 2010, The Precision Laboratory began construction with a ground-breaking ceremony. Today, the lab provides an environment for the most sensitive experiments, shielded from seismic, acoustic, and electromagnetic noise. More more at: www.fkf.mpg.de/2489208/01_P...

We have developed NEARS — a method to directly measure the Higgs mode in high-temperature superconductors. Like a “fingerprint” for superconductors, it reveals their hidden symmetries and internal structure.
www.fkf.mpg.de/8818866/2025...
#Physics #Superconductivity #HiggsMode

How do you coax a quantum spin liquid into existence? In the kapellasite family, rare-earth chemical pressure and subtle disorder create just the right conditions — with a striking structural transition at Dy.
Read more: journals.aps.org/prresearch/a...

Everyone needs Science, Science needs Everyone was our slogan at this years Pride! 🎉

We do research together, we celebrate together. Science is better when everyone is seen and valued. 🌈🔬 #InclusiveScience #PrideinSTEM #chemsky

New photos! Check out these hilarious moments from last month's Kohl & Pinkel festival! A tradition at our institute dating back over 50 years, where the directors compete in a series of silly games, and our staff and scientists gather for merry-making!

🔬 From quantum tech to fusion reactors, superconductivity powers the future. Join leading scientists at M2S-2026 to explore the frontier of superconducting materials, theory & applications. 📅 Learn more here: www.fkf.mpg.de/8760227/2026...
#Superconductivity #M2S2026

We're celebrating the international year of quantum science and technology! Next in our series, we hear from Gideok Kim, the head of our thin film technology group. He poses the question: what could one do, if one could building materials with atomic-layer precision?

Ministry meets science! This week, a delegation from the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts BW visited us. They explored our new high-res TEM microscope, the precision lab, and research on batteries & magnons. Learn more on the great exchange at: www.fkf.mpg.de/8797801/2025...

Programmable DNA Moiré Superlattices: Expanding the Design Space at the Nanoscale

These programmable lattices could power advances in spintronics, nanophotonics & metamaterials — with uses from quantum scaffolds to soft robotics.
This is about expanding what’s buildable at the molecular level.
🔗 Read more: www.fkf.mpg.de/8760008/2025...
#MoiréMaterials #Nanoscience

Instead of stacking materials manually, they encode twist angles & lattice geometry into the DNA itself, then let it self-assemble into moiré patterns with nanometer precision.
A new bottom-up method to build square, honeycomb & kagome lattices — even gradient structures!

🧬 We worked with the University of Stuttgart to develop programmable DNA moiré superlattices — unlocking an entirely new way to build structured matter at the nanoscale. Published in Nature Nanotechnology. #NanoTech #DNAorigami